The Burrow Burns
by myrmidryad
Summary: An extended scene from the movie. Mostly twin-centric, so hooray for Fred and George. Movieverse. Rated T just in case.


Because there was not nearly enough of the twins in that movie and I thought that scene with The Burrow was very powerful, if totally random and non-canon. Obviously, this is movieverse, because in the books, The Burrow remains lovely and intact, just the way I happen to like it. :)

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing, but if I did, Fred certainly wouldn't have died, and neither would Colin Creevey, Lupin or Tonks. *shakes fist at J.K.R*

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The twins had been in the living room when the windows had shone orange, fire blazing outside, appearing from nowhere. "What the –" Fred exclaimed as they went to the window.

"It goes all the way round." George pressed his hands against the glass. "A trap."

"I'll get Ginny, Ron and Harry."

"I'll get Mum and –"

"Harry, NO!"

Both turned at their father's shout. "Dad," they muttered together, running for the door. Ginny suddenly barrelled between them, and they reached the door just in time to see her leap through the fire Lupin and Tonks were trying to subdue.

"Ginny!" Molly shrieked. George grabbed her around the shoulders to hold her back as Arthur raced for the fire after his daughter.

"A trap." Fred looked quickly at George. "Harry's bait."

"We're a bonus." George nodded. They exchanged a swift look between them and nodded, saying together, "they need help."

They left Molly in the doorway and ran forward to take Lupin and Tonks' places. "You go!" Fred shouted as he whipped his wand through the air.

"Help Harry!"

"Get Ginny!"

"Go!"

"Now!" They shouted together, yanking their wands up at the same time and breaking the line of fire long enough for Tonks and Lupin to dash through. They kept battling the flames till they had broken a proper path through the flames in front of them.

Across the smoky air, the twins shared a quick look, divvying up duties in a glance. Fred nodded and raised his wand, continuing to fire spells at the flames as George ran for the house.

"MUM!" He bellowed, standing under the stairs and staring up urgently. "MUM! RON!"

"George?" Ron shouted back from somewhere above, and George snarled desperately under his breath, all the work he and Fred had done for the Order flooding his mind. They had protected targets before, but the targets had never been so close to home – literally.

"George!" Molly ran in from behind him as Ron started to thunder down the stairs. Something roared outside, a familiar rush of air that was always accompanied by a black, smoky dart through the sky.

Outside, Fred's head snapped up with horror, tracking the path of the Death Eaters through the air. They were heading for the house, and in a split second, he knew what they were intending to do. He left the fire and charged back to the house, burning with fear – if Molly and Ron…if _George_ was hurt, killed…

"MOVE!" George bellowed, grabbing Ron and Molly and practically throwing them out of the door. Arthur was there to catch Molly, and George stumbled into Fred, both of them instantly calming at the bump. They watched as The Burrow, their ramshackle house, their home, was destroyed before their eyes. Fred staggered backwards, running his hands through his hair.

They watched in shocked silence for a moment as The Burrow burned, consuming all their possessions and Molly's whole world, their memories and their childhoods, all in one fell swoop. George stepped backwards next to Fred and touched his shoulder with his own. The contact made them look at each other. Fred swallowed and George nodded, blinking hard. Together, they stepped forward and raised their wands, shooting jets of water at the house.

Tonks joined them, as did Lupin and Arthur, and then Harry and Ron. Ginny stepped up next to Molly and buried her head in her shoulder like she had when she had been a little girl.

Eventually the flames were put out, and Lupin went around the house, dousing the weakened flames that were still trying to surround them. Arthur caught him and Tonks when he was done and pulled them close so that Molly couldn't hear them. "Thank you," he said fervently. "Both of you. I don't know what –"

"No need for that, Arthur," Lupin waved the thanks aside, and Tonks nodded.

"You'd have done the same for us. Good work by the way, boys," she added with a nod to Fred and George, who were standing slightly away, arms crossed and straight-faced. They nodded back, but didn't speak.

Arthur held their gazes for a moment before turning his attention back to Lupin and Tonks. "I really can't thank you enough," he sighed quietly. "You should get back. Someone should alert Dumbledore."

Lupin nodded. "I'll send him an owl as soon as we're back."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Tonks asked concernedly, staring at the blackened, smoking shell that had once been The Burrow. "We could help –"

"You've done more than enough tonight, Tonks," Arthur told her in hushed tones. "Really, the boys and I can take care of this, can't we, Fred? George?"

"No problems at all." Fred stepped forward with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, we've done far worse than this in our workroom."

"Blown ourselves up a few times."

"We're used to repairing smoke damage."

"Old hats."

"See?" Arthur smiled shortly at Tonks and Lupin. "You get on – we'll clean up here, don't worry."

"But where will you stay?" Tonks asked worriedly.

"Relax, Tonks." George told her.

"It's all taken care of." Fred nodded.

"So like Dad said –"

"Don't worry." They finished together, looking up at what had been their room. "Best move away, Dad," Fred said.

"Looks like it could collapse." George agreed.

"Wood weakened by the fire."

"Come on," Lupin whispered to Tonks, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."

"Stay safe," Tonks shook Arthur's hand seriously.

"You too."

Lupin nodded to Arthur and then to the twins before he and Tonks Disapparated.

"I'll tell them to stay back," Arthur started walking towards Molly, Ginny, Harry and Ron.

"We'll get started." Fred and George nodded and turned to The Burrow, wands out. They started with supporting spells to make sure it wouldn't collapse on them before walking inside. Arthur followed and they looked around in sadness and dismay.

"We can't let Molly see this," Arthur whispered. "It'd break her heart." They stared at the blackened walls and shattered glass, the soggy, burned furniture and ruined ceilings. There was a clear gap in the view up the stairs where the Death Eaters had crashed through, and the rails from the banisters were broken and splintered, still smoking in places. The whole place stank of soot and smoke.

Fred and George backed up a couple of steps and turned to walk out. Arthur followed them as they walked over to their mother, sister, brother and friend. "We can't stay here tonight," Fred told them obviously.

"So we've decided that –"

"Under the circumstances –"

"Situation being what it is –"

"You should stay the night –"

"At ours."

"That being –"

"Our flat."

"We can squeeze you in for tonight –"

"While we fix things up here." They smiled properly at that last line, showmen's grins stretching cheerfully across their identical faces.

"Oh, boys," Molly sniffed and Arthur put his arm around her.

"That's very kind of you, boys, but –"

"We insist." They said together, putting their hands up.

"Think of it as our Christmas present," George grinned.

"Seeing as the other presents are currently…" Fred looked around at the house, then at George, and they both looked at their family and shrugged with a smile.

"Ash."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, barely audible.

"It wasn't your fault!" Ron said fiercely.

"Ron's right, Harry." Arthur said tiredly. "They did that because they could, not because of you. Don't blame yourself."

"Yeah, don't blame yourself, Harry," Fred nodded.

"Especially when we'll have all this fixed in a jiffy," George nodded and winked. "You wait and see."

"We'll take you to the flat." Fred took Molly's arm. "Come on, Mum."

"Don't worry," George popped his head over her other shoulder.

"We'll take care of it." They said together, smiling. They backed up and nodded to their father, who nodded back and took Molly's hand.

"Come on, dear. Let's go to Fred and George's flat."

"We'll bring this lot." Fred grinned, jerking his head at Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"Just Apparate outside the shop," George told them. "We've put warding spells on it so you can't Apparate directly in."

"Good lads." Arthur nodded approvingly. "See you in a tick." Whereupon he and Molly promptly disappeared with a loud _crack_.

"You take them, I'll guard." Fred said to George, who nodded and grabbed Ginny's arm without warning and vanished.

"How're you going to fix that?" Ron whispered, looking at the smouldering wreck of their home.

"Well, Ronald," Fred said in an exaggerated kindly voice, "people like you and me, we're what you'd call wizards. Now, shocking as it may seem –"

"Wizards can perform this nifty little trick," George appeared next to Fred, his expression matching his twin's exactly.

"Called _magic_," they said together.

"With these lovely little twigs," George pulled his wand from his pocket and dangled it in front of Ron's scowling face.

"Called _wands_," they grinned patronisingly at the same time. They were rewarded with Harry's small smile.

"Is Ginny alright?" He asked.

"You can see for yourself." George beamed, grabbing Harry's shoulder and Apparating away. Ron opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could talk, George popped out of the air next to him and Apparated him away before he could utter a syllable.

"Thank you, George," Fred said formally as his twin reappeared.

"My pleasure, Fred." George bowed slightly and they both turned smartly on their heels to face their childhood home. "Shall we?"

"Yes."

After all, they weren't children any more, as Arthur was reminded when he Apparated back a few minutes later and found his sons in the attic, repairing the roof. They had a plan to work from the roof downwards – illogical and unconventional, but then, Arthur smiled to himself with equal parts fondness and sadness at the loss of his house, when had the twins ever followed convention? He hadn't realised how grown up they truly were till then, but he found himself being incredibly grateful for it as they spent the whole night gradually fixing The Burrow, room by room, till the sun peeked over the horizon the next morning and the photographers started arriving, their cameras flashing in the early morning light.

* * *

So it's kinda short, and I don't think it _really_ conveyed the emotions I wanted it to, but whatever. Reviews are love, and whoever does review gets a free Firewhiskey on me. :)


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